Shiru Soba Dokoro Choboichi

Nothing makes a better late night in Kobe than a late night bowl of red hot chicken ramen.

神戸のオールしたら、〆辛いラーメンが最高。

The Bowl
Thick, syrupy broth; smoky and mostly the flavor of ra-yu. The noodles were thin and made themselves ra-yu flavored, too, as they were pulled from the viscous mixture. Not a bowl I want every day, but one I was perfectly happy with then.

ドロっとしたスモーキーラー油が効いているスープでした。麺もスープを触れた瞬間に主にラー油になりました。毎日食べれるラーメンじゃありませんけど、その時にうれしかったです。

Would I Go Again?


Should You Go?


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汁そば処 ちょぼいち

Sangen

One of my friends living in Kobe told me for the longest time about a ramen shop she swore by. I don't make it to Kobe as often as I should, and she was pretty insistent, so I hopped on a train. Sangen is one of the four restaurants in the hidden Men Road, a plaza of four ramen shops in the Kobe Marui department store. I would like to visit all of them if I have time, but this time I stopped just at Sangen for the dashi shoyu.

神戸の友達にずっと好きなラーメン屋さんのことを言われいています。もっと神戸によく行きたくて、友達がしつこいので行ってみました。神戸の丸井にある麺ロードの４軒の一つ「さんげん」でした。全部一回行ってみたいですけど、とりあえず、さんげんのだし醤油を頼みました。

The Bowl
Sangen's ramen was simple, but unique. The shoyu broth was thin and oily, but instead of being heavy on fat or garlic, it was filled with the flavors of the vegetables in it. Primarily it tasted like charred onions mixed with soy sauce, like a simple stir fry. Instead of the rice you get with stir fry, there were lo mein-like noodles, yellow and carrying the green onions taste.

さんげんのラーメンはシンプルでユニークでした。あっさりとしたスープなんですけど、ニンニクとか油がいっぱいあるわけじゃなくて、入っている野菜の風味がしました。特に、焼いたネギと醤油の炒めの味がしました。炒めのご飯の代わりに黄色い中太麺がつきました。やっぱり麺もネギの味がしました。

Would I Go Again?
It was solid but I would like to try the shops surrounding it. Also it has closed since I've been there.

美味しかったですけど、周りの店に行ってみたいです。しかも、なくなりました。

Should You Go?
You can't, because it's closed.

潰れたので行けません。

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さんげん

Ramen Taro

My ramen trips to Kyoto had come to an end, but that doesn't mean I didn't have time for other places.  My friends and I were planning on going to Shiga, but since those plans were rained out we went to Kobe instead.  After a few mandatory snacks in Chinatown, we tried a ramen shop I found in Ramen Walker.

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ラーメンたろう
1-10-10 Nakayamatedōri

The Bowl
Tonkotsu shoyu bowls have a special ability to weigh me down and make me feel bloated after eating them.  That's not to say that it's bad, but Taro lived up to its legacy with a very porky, murky broth.  The noodles, on the other hand, were thin and very light.  The egg and normal chashu were decent, but the best part of the bowl by far was the kakuni.  It was tender and juicy; I could have eaten just that and I would have been happy.

Would I Go Again?
It's a bit out of the way so I probably won't find myself there again.

Should You Go?
If you're looking for ramen in Kobe, this is a solid place.  Make sure to get some of the kakuni.

Kisshokichi

I found out a few weeks ago that, like in Kyoto and Fukuoka, there is a recently opened set of ramen shop branches in Kobe all in one place, called Men Road (which means Noodle Road in Japanese).  I had never had ramen in Kobe before, and I needed to see this place, so a couple friends and I headed over there.

Men Road is pretty small, it's almost like a hallway, with counters at each of the four shops.  I hadn't heard of any of the shops, but Kisshokichi claimed to use Kobe beef in their ramen, so we went with that one.  My friends went with the shoyu bowl, and I went with the shio-based veggie soba.

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吉祥吉
Hyōgo-ken, Kōbe-shi, Chūō-ku, Sannomiyachō, １丁目１０−１
Kisshokichi is located in Men Road, which is across the street from Sannomiya Station, in the basement of the department store complex by Kobe Marui.

The Bowl
As advertised, the veggie soba was very light and had plenty of vegetables.  Peppers and onions littered the bowl.  The noodles were very thin, long, and tended to clump together - they reminded me more of pho noodles than standard ramen noodles.  I think the pieces of meat in the broth were alright but not what I would expect from Kobe beef.

Would I Go Again?
The veggie soba was an OK if simple bowl, and there are three other shops right next to Kisshokichi, so I'll be going to those before I even consider coming back here.

Should You Go?
Kisshokichi wasn't really anything special; the other places in Men Road may be, but you'll have to wait a little bit before you get reviews for those.